Revolving display rack for showcases



Nov. 22, 1949 Filed June 17, 1947 H. V. SEAWRIGHT REVOLVING DISPLAY RACK FOR SHOWCASES 2 Sheets-Sheet l RRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ES 7 gvwm Fig. 4 f/[RJCl/[t IMAM/Mr Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE REVOLVING DISPLAY RACK F OR SHOWCASES Herschel V. Seawright,..1acksonvil le, Fla.

Application June '17, 1947, Serial No.'7'5 5,1'50

This invention relates to a revolving display rack for show cases.

At the present time, showcases are almost invariably provided with fixed shelving. Such shelving is difiicult to reach in placing the articles of merchandise thereon and removing samefrom the show case, or in cleaning the latter. Also, the overall appearance of the articles on display can be changed only by changing the entire assemblage.

The principal object of the present invention is to prOVide a revolving display rack for use in show cases in lieu of the usual fixed shelving therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a revolving display rack for use in show cases by which the clerk may easily bring within reach any displayed article of merchandise.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a revolving display rack for use in show cases, whereby a greater quantity and variety of merchandise may be displayed than with the ordinary fixed shelf construction.

A further object of the present invention "is to provide a revolving display rack for use in show cases whereby the merchandise on display may be readily changed by merely revolving the rack.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a revolving display rack for use in show cases, whereby the articles of merchandise to be displayed on the rack can be easily placed thereon by turning same as it is loaded.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a revolving display rack for use in show cases, which rack can be readily cleaned by cleaning the sections adjacent the rear doors of the show case and then revolving the rack so as to bring another section into position.

Additional objects, advantages, and improvements will become apparent from the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a show case showing the revolving display rack of the present invention mounted therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the revolving display rack; V

Figure 3 is an under plan view of one of the circular article-supporting plates;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of one of the su porting plates;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of one of the supporting posts;

Figure 6 is an under plan view of a modified form of an article-displaying plate.

2 Claims. (01. 211 444) Referring now to the drawings in detail, and to Figure i'in particular, this figure shows the revolving display rack'o-f-the present invention mounted in a show case having a bottom 10, with integral feet l-l thereon, a glass front 1'2, a glass top "l4, and a back 16. Corner reinforcing strips [3 are mounted at the junctures of the bottom It and front 'I 2, the front and top 1 4, the top and back it, and, the back and bottom 10. The back it is of the usual open construction, the opening being closed by a'pair of telescoping sliding doors with a fiat top 23 and has angularly positioned holes 24 therein for reception of screws 25 to secure the revolvin display Stand within the show ca e. Th a e is provided with n or mental head 25 t approximately i s mid-seotiOIh Th o tom a t cle-supportin plate 28 has a central aperture 2'! and a concentric b s 23. th latter havin a gr v '30 ther n of g nerally rectan gular cross-section positioned along the center circle. The top 23 of the bas 'has a circumferen! tially positioned row of indentations therein, each indentation being shaped as a segment of a spherical surface. A plurality of ball bearings 3| are received in the indentations and the groove 30 in the boss 29 receives the circumferential row of ball bearings, the latter providing an anti-friction mounting for the article-supporting plate 28. For mounting the second or intermediate display plate, a socket 3311s provided. The socket 33 has a bottom flange '32 thereon through which screws 31 pass to secure the socket to the top 2.3 of the base, and the socket itself extends through the central aperture '2"! and the bottomdisplay plate 28.

The second or intermediate display plate is supported by a rod 34'which is shown as square, but could be of any multi-plane-sided construction. "'Ihebottom of the rod 134 is detachably secured in a correspondingly-shaped central hole in the socket Y33 and at its top the rod is secured to a cylindrical post 85. The rod 34 may be formed integrally with the cylindrical post '35 or force-fitted in a suitable axial bore in the latter, An intermediatesuPP Iting plate 42 has a cylindrical hub 38 on its bottom and a similar but shorter cylindrical hub 49 on its top. A square or other multi-sided bore 4| extends through the upper hub 49, the plate 48 itself, and approximately half-way through the lower hub 38. Another bore 39 extends upwardly from the bottom of the hub. The top of the cylindrical post 35 is received in the bore 39 and the hub is secured to this post by a radially extending set screw 40 passing through the side wall of the bore, the post being provided with an indentation 36 (Figure for receiving the set screw. The top of the supporting plate 42 is provided with an annular row of indentations 43, each shaped as a segment of a spherical surface. Ball bearings 44 are positioned in the indentations 43. The intermediate display plate 48 is of substantially identical construction with the bottom display plate 28, except of smaller diameter. This intermediate display plate has a central circular aperture 41, which receives the upper hub 49 on the supporting plate 42, and a concentric annular boss 45 on its bottom, which boss has a recess 46, this recess being of generally rectangular shape disposed along its center circle. The recess 46 in the boss 45 receives the annular row of ball bearings 44 in the top of the intermediate supporting plate 42.

The top display plate 56 and the supporting plate 54 therefor are substantially identical in construction with the intermediate display plate 48 and the supporting plate 42 therefor, respectively. A supporting rod 50 is of square or other multi-sided shape, and passes through the central aperture 41 in the intermediate display plate 48, and is received in the bore 41 in the intermediate supporting plate 42. The supporting rod 50 is formed integrally with, or force-fitted in, a suitable axial bore in the top supporting post 5|. The latter is in turn received in an axial bore in the hub 52 of the top supporting plate 54, the hub being provided with a radially positioned set screw 53 for securing same to the post. The top display plate 56 has an annular hub 55 on its bottom which is provided with a groove (not shown) of generally rectangular cross-section disposed along its center circle, for reception of an annularly positioned row of ball bearings received in a row of indentations in the top supporting plate 54. This bearing structure is identical to the bearing structure on the intermediate supporting and display plates 42 and 48, respectively, as shown in Figure 2.

' As shown at 49 in Figure 6, the three display plates may be made of square instead of circular construction. The square construction enables a more effective utilization of a given transverse area of show case space.

. In operation, a plurality of the display racks according to the present invention may be aligned longitudinally of a show case, if desired. After opening the rear doors Il--l8, the clerk may revolve any one of the three articlesupporting display plates 28, 48, and 56, on a given rack to bring a desired article within reach, each of the display plates being rotatable independently of the other two. The article-display plates may be similarly rotated for refilling with mechandise, or for emptying and cleaning, or merely to change the array of mechandise visible to the front 12 and top [4 of the show case.

It will be apparent that, while the present invention has been described and illustrated as embodying a display rack of three-tier construction, a greater or lesser number of tiers may be used, as desired. Also, various changes may be made in the sizes, proportions, and relative arrangements of the different parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A display device, comprising a base, a vertical socket mounted upon thebase and having a polygonal opening, a vertical rod formed polygonal in cross section to be removably mounted in the polygonal opening of the socket, a post rigidly secured to the rod, a horizontal stationary plate having a depending hub provided with a bottom opening to receive the post, said hub having a vertical opening extending through its upper end and formed polygonal in cross section, said plate having an annularly spaced group of recesses, a rotatable plate having a depending annular boss provided with an annular groove, ball bearings mounted within the recesses and engaging in the annular groove, a set screw to clamp the depending hub to the post, a second vertical rod polygonal in cross section to be removably mounted in the polygonal opening of the depending hub, a second post rigidly secured to the sec ond rod, a second horizontalstationary plate above the rotatable plate and having a depending hub provided at its lower end with an opening to receive the second post, the second stationary plate being provided upon its upper face with an annular group of spaced recesses, a second rotatable plate provided with a depending annular boss having an annular groove, ball bearings mounted within the last-named recesses and groove, and a set screw to clamp the last-named hub to the last-named post.

2. A display device, comprising a base, a stationary plate mounted upon the base and having a central vertical hub portion projecting above the stationary plate, said hub portion having a vertical opening formed polygonal in cross section, a rotatable plate having a central opening removably receiving the upper end of the hub portion, bearing balls arranged between the stationary plate and rotatable plate, a vertical rod removably mounted within the opening of the hub portion, an upper stationary plate, a central vertical hub portion secured to the upper stationary plate and projecting above the same and secured to the rod, an upper rotatable plate having a central opening to removably receive the upper end of the last-named hub portion, bearing balls arranged between the upper rotatable plate and upper stationary plate, the upper and lower rotatable plates being interchangeable.

HERSCHEL V. SEAWRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

